LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Has $3.24 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 284.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,809 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,819 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,763 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% during the first quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 1,010 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $740,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 1,867 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,871,000. Finally, Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,930 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,057,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $896.49 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1 year low of $540.23 and a 1 year high of $918.93. The firm has a market cap of $397.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.54, a PEG ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $858.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $801.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at $5,041,057.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,015,745. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total transaction of $298,035.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $676.00 target price (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $842.77.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.